The site provides 3 ways of searching for an expert witness to meet your requirements:

Structured Search guides you through the process of identifying an expert based on criteria such as area of expertise, occupation & experience, and location. This is a useful place to start if you are new to the site as it leads you through the selection process. More info

Keyword search provides a method for searching the key fields in the database for particular words and phrases. More info

Name search provides a quick way of finding an expert if you know his or her name, or the name of their company. More info

As a result of any of the above searches you will get a page listing the selected experts. Clicking on their name will bring up a detailed profile of that expert.

STRUCTURED SEARCH

Step 1 - Expertise
All experts in the database are categorised under 1200+ index classifications. These classifications are broken down into General Specialist Subjects and more detailed Specific Subjects. Start by selecting a General Specialist Subject from the dropdown list. The action of selecting a subject causes a further dropdown to be displayed which enables you to select more detailed subjects if required. You can leave All relevant subjects selected, or select a single specific detailed subject from the dropdown. If you want to make a selection based on 2 or more detailed subjects, click on the Select multiple link. This takes you to a new page that will enable you to select multiple classifications by clicking the appropriate selection boxes. Click Confirm selection to accept the selection you have made. This will return you to the Expertise page. The words Custom selection will appear in the dropdown list with the titles of the detailed categories selected listed below. When you are happy with your selections, press the Next button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

Step 2 – Occupation & Experience
The second screen enables you to select particular occupations and experience relevant to your category selection in Step 1. Unless you have very specific requirements in this area you will probably find it better to accept the default All selections initially in order to get a reasonable number of experts to chose from. The system allows you to easily refine your search later if you feel you are getting too many experts selected. Should you wish to select specific requirements on this page, select items from the dropdown lists or click on the selection boxes as appropriate. If for any reason you wish to return to Step 1, press the Back button at the bottom of the screen. When you are happy with your selections, press the Next button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

Step 3 – Location & Order
All experts listed have expressed a willingness to travel to Scotland to work, irrespective of their normal location. However, you can select an expert in a particular location by means of the dropdown list on this page. The Select multiple feature allows you to select multiple locations in the same way as with detailed classifications in Step 1. You can also use the Order results by dropdown to define sort order for the final results screen. You can return to Step 2 by pressing the Back button at the bottom of the page, or press Finish to list the search results.

KEYWORD SEARCH

Selecting this tab allows you to search multiple fields for particular keywords. This feature is particularly useful when the Structured Search has not given you the results you were hoping for as a more free-ranging search of the database can be made.

Single word searching
This is the simplest form of searching. Enter a single word and press Search. The system will search for that word among the main fields of the database and display a list of results. The results can be ordered by relevance, based on the number of occurances of the word and the fields it appears in, or by name, occupation or location.

Multiple word searching
The system also allows you to search for multiple words or phrases. For example, to search for entries containing the words "environmental" and "consultant", enter "environmental consultant" in the box and make sure the radio button next to All words is selected. To select entries which contain the word "environmental" or the word "consultant", enter the text in the box as before and make sure the radio button next to Any word is selected. To search for the phrase "environmental consultant" enter "environmental+consultant" in the box.

NAME SEARCH

If you know the name of an expert or his/her company, then click on this tab and you can use this screen to find their entry. Entries can be searched by surname, forename, company name or a mixture of the three. Radio buttons allow you to select whether all or any criteria are matched, and for company names whether an exact match is required. When searching by surname or forename, the full name must be entered. If you are not sure of a person's exact name or its spelling and cannot his or her entry by this method, try using Keyword search and just search for whatever part of the name you are sure of.

GENERAL TIPS & ADVICE ON SEARCHING

If you want to go back and refine a search or make another selection, always use the Back button within the page. Using the Back button in the toolbar of your browser may result in the selection criteria being lost and you having to start again.

When making an initial search, don't start out being too specific as it is likely to lead to you getting few or even no experts selected. Make a general selection in the subject areas you are interested in and then refine it as required.

WHAT THE FIELDS MEAN

Specialist subject
The specialist areas of work selected by the experts which best describe their areas of expertise. These are classified under 11 broad areas:

Occupation
The expert's professional occupation, or a description of the company for which several experts work, e.g. Forensic Accountants.

Qualification & accredited experience
Professional qualifications provided by the expert, and membership of professional bodies where membership has been gained through examination, accreditation or assessment (not through subscription), e.g. MSc.

Member of
Professional bodies of which an individual expert or company of experts are members, where membership has not been gained through examination or assessment, e.g. BMA

Location
This specifies the location of the expert's office or of the company office if they are part of a company or group.

Geographical areas of work
The location(s) which the expert is willing to travel to, e.g. worldwide

Experience
Use the checkboxes to specify that you want ot find an expert who has experience in Medical negligence, Personal injury, Professional negligence, Giving evidence in court, Acting for the pursuer, Acting for the defendant, or a combination of the above

Surname, Forename, Company name
This is the name of the individual expert or the company for which they work.